


maybe together (we can get somewhere)

by fluorescent_adolescent13



Series: remember we were driving [1]
Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: First Date, First Kiss, High School
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22537123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluorescent_adolescent13/pseuds/fluorescent_adolescent13
Summary: five greenelan moments in emma's car
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Series: remember we were driving [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1629793
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	maybe together (we can get somewhere)

**1**

It had been a long day. Every day was sort of beginning to turn into a long day. Narrowly avoiding confrontation and staying away from some of the more popular kids at school had become a more regular occurrence over the past few weeks, and Emma was starting to get used to it. She knew what routes were better to take at different times of the day, and always had the band closet to retreat safely to at lunch. It was just tiring. 

The drive back home from school never usually took more than twenty minutes or so. On a good day it would be less. Once she’d managed to do it in under ten minutes. Half the town were filling up the school instead of the roads, the James Madison High School’s parking lot overflowing with the fans and families of the football team. Emma steered clear.

Emma wished there was a game on tonight though. She brought a hand up to rub at her eyes as she brought her truck to a halt at a stop sign, trying to wipe away the sleep that was nagging at her. Something to the right captured her attention as she opened them again. Emma wasn’t sure whether or not she should stop. She turned the corner a little too sharply, pulling over by the kerb before she had a chance to talk herself out of it. Reaching over to the other side of the bench, she rolled the window down swiftly and called out - drawing the passerby out of their thoughts and back to reality.

“Hey, Alyssa-”

“Oh,” the brunette jumped, her eyes darting from their place glued to the sidewalk to meet Emma’s hazel orbs. Her face erupted into a smile immediately. “Emma?”

“I, um...Do-,” Emma stuttered over her first few words. She hadn’t really thought as far forward as this. Alyssa took a few steps towards the car, a small confused frown taking over her face. The smile remained though. “Doyoumaybewantaridehome?”

Alyssa shook her head slightly, letting out a small chuckle at the flustered blonde in front of her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

Emma took a deep breath, letting her words escape slowly one by one. “Do you maybe want a ride home?”

“Um-”

“It’s just,” Emma continued. “It’s really cold, and my Gran would kill me if I told her that I saw you and didn’t at least offer to take you home.” She motioned in Alyssa’s direction. “You don’t even have a jacket.”

“I don’t want to be a bother.” Emma reached over again, opening the door for the brunette and waving her in. Alyssa chewed on her bottom lip, thinking for a second before stepping up into the truck. “Thank you.”

Emma shrugged, feebly attempting to portray some aura of nonchalance. They were close enough that she could see the goosebumps littering Alyssa’s skin. “It’s no trouble.”

“My friend Kaylee,” Alyssa started. Emma nodded along. She knew who Alyssa’s friends were. They usually had no trouble making themselves known to her. “She was supposed to give me a ride home today. She drove me this morning. Her and Shelby decided to go to the mall with some of the guys from the football team but I didn’t really want to go.”

Emma nodded along as the other girl spoke, eyebrows furrowing as the brunette shivered a little and wrapped her arms further around herself. An idea flickered into her head, her hands carrying it out before she could think anymore about it. She reached down towards her backpack, pulling out a neatly folded hoodie and handing it to Alyssa.

“Here,” she smiled. “It’s clean, I promise.”

“You don’t have to-” Alyssa waved a hand haphazardly.

“It’s okay. I always have a spare change with me, just in case,” Emma insisted. She hoped that the brunette wouldn’t ask her anymore about it though. “And you’re shaking.”

“...Thank you.”

Emma watched as Alyssa pulled the hoodie over her head, a look of relief washing over the brunette’s face as the soft cotton covered her arms. 

“Did they really just leave you?”

“They’ve been trying to set me up with Shelby’s boyfriend’s friend for a while,” Alyssa snorted. “I think she was more pissy that I was bailing on them again. They should just start taking the hint.”

Emma held back a smile. “You mean you don’t want to be hanging off of some linebacker’s arm like the rest of them?”

“No...not really my type, I guess,” Alyssa said with a laugh. It was like music to Emma’s ears. They paused, looking at each other for a second too long. Alyssa nodded back towards the road. “...Emma?”

“Mhmm...oh, right. Sorry,” Emma replied, ducking her head down. Maybe she had a habit of looking at Alyssa too long. It was different when they were at school. She didn’t want to admit how long she spend staring at the back of Alyssa’s head when they were in English, her internal monologue begging the brunette to turn around and talk to her. Or when they were working on something together during Chemistry and their fingers would clink together like the beakers they were fiddling with. She drummed her hands against the steering wheel. “I don’t actually know where you live.”

“Longacre Drive? It’s just-” she replied, going to motion the direction with her hands. 

“That’s pretty close to me actually,” Emma cut her off, pulling the car back onto the road again. “I think I know the way.”

Alyssa fiddled with the straps of her backpack as a silence slowly fell over them both. It wasn’t uncomfortable. If anything, it felt completely normal. 

“I like your car,” Alyssa said suddenly. They weren’t too far from her house and she wanted to take as much time as she could to get a conversation out of the blonde.

“Thank you,” Emma replied a little too quickly, flashing her a quick smile as she glanced away from the road. “It was handed down to me. She has a lot of sentimental value.”

“She?” Alyssa giggled. “You’re really lucky, y’know.”

“I am?” Emma frowned.

“Yeah, I mean,” she stammered, her voice getting a couple of notches more quiet. “I have my permit but my mom won’t put me on her insurance and we argue every time I talk about saving up for my own car. I think she thinks as soon as I do I’ll leave her or something.” Alyssa bit the inside of her mouth, stopping herself from blurting anything else out. Maybe she’d overshared a little. “You can go wherever you want to go.”

Emma paused, looking back over at the brunette again. “I haven’t really thought about it like that. Sometimes I feel like I’ll be stuck in Edgewater forever.”

Alyssa hummed in agreement before clearing her throat. She pointed out the window. “This is me.”

Emma pulls in towards the sidewalk again but Alyssa doesn’t make a move to get out. 

“Y’know,” Emma starts, their eyes locking together. “I’m only like two streets over. If you ever need a reliable ride to school, I don’t mind at all. I mean, we’re going in the same direction.”

Alyssa chuckled at the blonde’s comment. She loved her friends but Emma seemed more dependable by a mile. It wasn’t like she was going to blow her off for some guy. Alyssa winced slightly at her own internal monologue. She’d heard about what had happened to Emma over the past couple of months, and she’d heard all of the rumours and comments that floated around the school in an attempt to hurt her more. Alyssa would never say those things. 

“I might take you up on that,” she replied. For a second Alyssa considered leaning across the bench and pulling Emma into a quick hug - to say thank you. Or to say sorry for everything that she’d been subjected to. To say sorry for not doing anything to stop it. “We should probably get together soon again anyway?”

“We should?”

“We have that presentation in a few weeks. Being lab partners and all, it’s probably best that we at least attempt to work on it together.”

“ _Oh,_ ” Emma replied. It had completely slipped her mind. The thought of spending a couple of more hours with Alyssa Greene of all people was already sending her stomach tumbling in knots. “Are you busy tomorrow after school?”

“I have cheerleading practice until five.”

“Of course, nevermind,” Emma shrugged. She wanted to kick herself for sounding as embarrassingly keen as she had. 

“But,” Alyssa started, unzipping her bag and reaching into it quickly. She pulled out a notebook - ripping a page from the middle and scribbling something down onto it. “Here’s my number. I could come over after dinner maybe? Just text me your address.”

Emma tried to suppress the smile that was tugging at the corners of her mouth. She took the paper from the brunette, eyes staring down at the combination of numbers. “Sounds good.”

Alyssa opened the door, flashing Emma another perfect smile before stepping out of the truck. She turned back suddenly, catching the door before it could close all the way.

“Your hoodie,” she said, shrugging off her backpack to take it off again. 

Emma stopped her before she could move another muscle. She waved a hand haphazardly, feeling a little more brave than she had done before. “Keep it. You’ll just have to come over tomorrow night and return it then.”

Alyssa grinned. “See you tomorrow.”

Emma watched the brunette bounce up towards her house before turning her attention back towards the road. She rested her forehead against the steering wheel and let out a long breath. She wasn’t sure how she was going to survive the next twenty-four hours.

* * *

**2**

“You have...” Emma giggled, motioning up towards her face. “Um-”

Alyssa smiled back at her, eyebrows quickly furrowing together in the moment it took her to catch on. “Oh, shoot.” She reached up to rub at her cheek, wiping the sides of her mouth as a more embarrassed look took over her face. A soft red glow began to grow underneath the spots of vanilla ice cream. “Did I get it?”

Emma shook her head as she let out another small laugh, leaning forward before her brain could properly register what she was doing. She brought her thumb up to the brunette’s face, swiping it gently across the corner of her lip. She lingered a little longer than she probably should have. Their eyes locked together, neither speaking for what felt like a minute. 

Emma cleared her throat, her gaze averting. “Got it.”

They kept walking along the sidewalk. Emma’s car was only parked a few minutes away. They hadn’t spoken much about the reason they’d driven fifteen minutes, all the way over to the next town, just so that they could get some ice cream together, but they both knew the answer. 

Alyssa switched her cone over to the other hand, swiping her tongue across the ice cream and letting the one that had been raised before fall back down to her side again. Their knuckles brushed lightly together with each step that they took, sending shockwaves up both of their arms with each gentle collision, but neither made an attempt to move away from the other. Alyssa could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the simple motion.

 _This is what it feels like_ , she couldn’t help but thing to herself. 

This was the feeling that she always had to listen about at sleepovers. The feeling that was brought up every time there was a first date debrief with the girls before cheerleading practice. The prerequisite to a relationship, discussed unforgivingly on their group chats. Alyssa had never quite understood it before. She’d gone out with guys before - holding their hands, letting them put their arms around her, but luckily avoiding any attempts at a first kiss - and she’d never felt the way that she did now. Like something special was happening.

“Can I ask you something?” Emma said suddenly, drawing Alyssa back out of her thoughts. 

She nodded, taking another chunk of vanilla. “Sure.”

Emma hesitated before she opened her mouth again. She didn’t want the wrong words to come out. “Did you tell your mom that you were going out with me today?”

“I...um,” Alyssa started, shaking her head slightly and separating herself from the blonde. “She thinks that I’m working on a project with Kaylee.”

“Okay.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“No!” Emma answered quickly, turning sharply to the brunette and putting their walking to a halt. She definitely wasn’t mad at Alyssa. She couldn’t possibly be. “I know that things have been kind of rocky for me the past few months. I mean, you know what people say about me. But I’m so lucky that I know who I am and I’m comfortable being me. Other people aren’t, but they don’t get to define the life that I’m supposed to lead. I decided that I wasn’t going to stand back anymore and hide who I am.”

“I wish that I was brave as you.”

Emma shook her head. “My point is that nobody except you gets to decide the journey you make. I could never, ever be mad at you for taking the time to realise who you are inside, or be mad that you didn’t tell the world soon enough.”

Alyssa’s mouth opened and closed again quickly. She wasn’t sure that she could find the words to express to Emma how she felt. She reached over suddenly, ignoring the yelp that the blonde let out as she was pulled forward, and wrapped her arms tightly around her. Emma settled into her embrace immediately, dipping her head into Alyssa’s shoulder and trying desperately not to let her heart beat as far out of her chest as it felt like it already was.

“I like you, Emma Nolan.”

“I like you too, Alyssa Greene.”

Their journey back to Edgewater flew by far quicker than either of them wanted it to. They filled the silence after their small heart to heart with some music, Alyssa dipping into the collection of CDs that Emma had stashed inside her glove compartment. The blonde held back her shock as Alyssa asked who Alanis Morissette was, confessing that not only had she never heard her music but that she’d never even heard of the singer at all. Emma didn’t hesitate in loading it into the stereo - pushing the volume up high and letting the first few tracks of the album fill up the car to the brim, only letting the noise level dip back down again as they finally reached Alyssa’s house.

They let the final minute or so of the track play out before either of them dared move again. Alyssa had inched closer to the other girl with each passing moment, finding herself closer to the middle of the bench than her original seat. She placed her hand over Emma’s, slipping her fingers in between the spaces that the blonde’s had made for her - desperate to enjoy the last few moments of the company they shared before they had to return back to normalcy for a little while longer. 

Emma jumped out of her skin as a sharp tap at the window echoed behind her. Alyssa darted back immediately, putting a great deal of space between their faces - space that definitely hadn’t been there before. She pulled her hand back sharply and twisted the volume knob on the stereo to zero. Emma couldn’t help but feel a small pang in her chest as she watched the brunette move, and as she pulled her wrist in close to her stomach. Like she’d been stung.

“Alyssa?” Mrs Greene frowned, her tone as sharp as the expression that had taken over her face. She motioned for Emma to roll the window all the way down. “What’s going on?”

Emma’s cheeks paled, her eyes darting down to her lap. She hoped that Alyssa would take the lead.

“Mom,” Alyssa replied nonchalantly. “Sorry I should have called. Kaylee’s boyfriend called her and invited us all to a party but _obviously_ I didn’t want to go with them. Emma was kind enough to offer me a ride home.”

Mrs Greene’s eyes narrowed slightly, looking from her daughter to the blonde that was still sitting awkwardly next to her. Her expression softened a moment or so later but Emma still wasn’t sure that she could look her directly in the eye without being turned to stone. “That _was_ very kind of you, Emma-?”

“Uh,” Emma stuttered. “Nolan. Emma Nolan.”

Alyssa’s mom nodded, giving her a tight smile. “Come inside, Alyssa. It’s getting late and we have church first thing in the morning.”

Alyssa flashed Emma an apologetic smile as she opened the car door, whispering that she would see her soon and that she was to text her as soon as she made it home - despite the fact that her own house was less than five minutes away. Just as Emma turned the keys in the ignition again, there was another loud rap at the glass that made her jump out of her skin just as much as the first had. Alyssa bit her lip impatiently as she waited for the window to roll down.

“I forgot my phone,” she said, almost a little too loudly.

Emma frowned, turning to the seat next to her. “I don’t think you-”

“I didn’t,” Alyssa replied quickly, leaning into the car slightly as though to take a look for herself. She placed a light kiss on Emma’s cheek. “Thank you for today, Emma Nolan.

* * *

**3**

Emma tapped out a sharp rhythm against the steering wheel as she waited for Alyssa. It wasn’t like the brunette to be running late but Emma wasn’t about to start complaining. Eventually, she appeared at the front door of her house - closing it behind her and locking it, practically jogging down the path until she reached Emma’s truck.

“Hey,” Alyssa said breathily, giving the blonde a smile as she swung her backpack into car. She hopped into the car and found her familiar spot on the bench.

“Hey,” Emma replied, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards. 

“So,” Alyssa continued, pulling the bag onto her lap. She reached into it, hesitating for a moment before revealing the contents. “This is kind of dumb, but I made you a CD?”

“You made me a CD?”

Emma’s smile only grew as the other girl handed over the plastic case. She stared down at it for a second, taking in the detail that had been etched onto the disk by Alyssa’s neater than neat handwriting. The gesture tugged at Emma’s heart. She couldn’t quite place the feeling that settled in her chest as she looked down at the small gift. It was one of the most thoughtful things that anyone had ever done for her. She wasn’t sure what to say.

“It’s a bit of a mixed bag,” Alyssa shrugged, her gaze averting down to her hands. “There’s some Maggie Rogers, um, The National, Paramore. Stuff like that. Songs that make me think of you I guess.”

Emma placed the case carefully on top of the dashboard, searching for Alyssa’s eyes. She hesitated for a moment or two before leaning over slowly, carefully. And then their lips pressed together. Softer than Emma ever could have imagined it being. It was altogether too much, encompassing her entire being in a warm glow that radiated out to the brunette, and not nearly enough at the same time. Alyssa was the first one to pull away. Emma had to stop a whine escaping past her lips as they separated. It passed by far too soon for either of their likings. 

“Em...,” Alyssa whispered, her ability to form a coherent sentence dissolving into the air. 

They were still close enough that they could feel each other’s breath. Emma opened her mouth to speak the words got caught in her throat. But then Alyssa kissed her again, and nothing else seemed to matter.

* * *

**4**

Emma squinted as she opened her eyes, desperately trying to adjust to the fuzziness. The only light in the room was coming from her phone - the phone that had dragged the blonde from her slumber and was still blaring loudly. She swatted around for a few moments, trying to find the source of the noise, and covered her face with the other hand in an attempt to shield herself from the attack that was happening on her senses. 

She pressed the green answer button, barely looking to see who was calling her at this time. Or even what time it was.

“Hello...?” Emma said, clearing the raspiness from her throat a moment later. Her eyebrows furrowed at the response she received and she pushed herself up quickly. “Wait, slow down...I’ll come and get you. Text me the address.”

That had been about twenty minutes ago. 

They hadn’t been driving for long. Emma had picked Alyssa up a couple of houses away, not wanting to risk anyone from the party seeing them both together. Just in case. 

“Where are you going?” Alyssa pouted as Emma parked the car up by the side of the road, resting her temple against the top of the seat. She reached for the blonde’s hand. She was clingy at the best of times but the alcohol in her system was only amplifying it.

“Going to get you some Gatorade or something, and some chips - I don’t really know what’s good for sobering someone up,” Emma replied with a small smile, pulling Alyssa’s hand up and placing a kiss on the back of her palm. 

“Thank you for picking me up,” she said, her voice quiet again. “It was too loud, and...and I just couldn’t be there anymore. It was too much.”

Emma shook her head. She pulled Alyssa across the bench and into her embrace, holding her tightly and tucking her head into the brunette’s curls. There wasn’t a chance that she was just going to leave her girlfriend at that party by herself. It didn’t matter how late it was, and it didn’t matter how far away she was - Emma would always come and get her without the slightly bit of hesitation.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” she replied, pulling back to meet her girlfriend’s gaze. It wasn’t often that Alyssa went to parties with Kaylee and Shelby, and it was even more rare for her to drink at them, but from what Emma could piece together the night hadn’t gone exactly how the brunette had planned.

They looked at each other for a moment longer, the tips of their noses rubbing together. Alyssa’s eyes flickered downwards. Emma’s brain didn’t have the chance to register her girlfriend’s train of thought until she was being tugged into a searing kiss. Alyssa reached down to unbuckle her own seatbelt, refusing to separate herself from the blonde for even a second, and moved onto her knees as her fingers found their way into Emma’s curls.

It wasn’t like things hadn’t ever gotten heated between them before. But this was different. It was all teeth, and tongue, and hunger. Emma retreated backwards as the brunette’s hands moved downwards, breaking off their kiss.

“‘Lys,” Emma sighed.

“Mhmm?” Alyssa let out an impatient groan, chasing her mouth for more. She drew back. Her eyes seemed to lighten the look in them moved from desire to confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Emma pushed on her shoulders gently, encouraging her back down to her original spot again. “I just...” Emma teetered off. It seemed silly saying it out loud. “You’ve been drinking. I don’t want to...I don’t know, take advantage?”

The realisation hit Alyssa all too suddenly, a reddish embarrassment taking over her cheeks in the place of the alcoholic flush that had been there before. She fumbled over her words. “Oh...I didn’t...sorry.”

Emma shook her head sharply, taking her hands in her own. “No! Don’t be sorry.”

Alyssa let out a long breath, forcing a smile onto her face and wishing that the cushion beneath her would swallow her up whole. “How about those chips.”

Emma was in and out of the store in less than five minutes. In fact, Alyssa was sure that if she’d timed it with her phone it would have been closer to two. She emerged back at the car door, plastic bag in hand, and shivering slightly from the cold that she had to walk through. Alyssa grimaced slightly at the slight. She hadn’t really noticed it before - that the blonde had come straight from bed, pulling a sweatshirt over her pajamas instead of changing into something warmer.

“They didn’t really have anything good,” Emma started, rummaging through her findings as she settled back into the driver’s seat. She handed Alyssa a bottle of water. The brunette gave her a small thank you as she flipped the lid open and took a sip. “I found some name brand cookies that look pretty edible though.”

Alyssa let out a small laugh, leaning back slightly and taking another drink. She brought a hand up to rub at her eyes. A tiredness had fallen over her in the few minutes that she’d been alone. 

Alyssa shot up in her seat suddenly, making Emma jolt in the process, and cradled her head in her hands. “My mom is going to kill me.”

“You can stay with me tonight?” Emma offered without a second thought.

Her eyes darted up. “I couldn’t. You’ve been so good to me already - I woke you up and everything. I don’t want to impose anymore.”

“Are you kidding? You’re never imposing,” Emma continued reassuringly. “Your mom thinks that you’re at a sleepover tonight anyway right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it’s settled,” Emma smiled. “My gran won’t mind at all. She’d be more mad if I didn’t offer. I’ll just make up a bed on the floor and it’ll be fine.”

Alyssa barely gave her a chance to finish. “You’re not sleeping on the floor. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Emma bit her lip, thinking for a moment before opening her mouth again. The thought of waking up with Alyssa in her arms in the morning - completely innocently, of course - was almost too much to pass up on. 

“I mean,” she said quietly. “Neither of us really have to sleep in it.”

Alyssa gave her a sleepy smile. “I think we can make a deal then.”

* * *

**5**

Their fingers were interlocked, resting comfortably in the little space between them. Emma’s other hand stayed firmly on the steering wheel. She had to stop herself from looking over at Alyssa, feebly attempting to keep her focus on the road alone. The giddy grin that had taken over her face the minute they’d walked into the second prom was still very firmly in its place. Alyssa had one to rival it. Neither of them were sure that they were ever going to come down from the high that they were on.

Emma let out a contented sigh as she pulled up to a stop sign, revelling in the smooth circles that her girlfriend was tracing over the back of her hand. She turned her head to look at the brunette, their eyes meeting warmly in the middle, but Emma’s couldn’t help but drift further. 

She let out a small chuckle as she looked out the window, biting her bottom lip to stop her grin from spreading any further. Any more and it would swallow up her face completely.

“Hey, ‘Lys,” Emma said suddenly.

“Yeah?”

“Do you know where we are?”

Alyssa’s head tilted slightly, a confused expression creeping across her eyes. “Um...the corner of Elm and-”

Emma shook her head, cutting off the rest of her sentence. “Do you remember that day at the start of junior year that I stopped and asked if you needed a ride?”

She could practically see the memory filtering back into Alyssa’s mind, her head darting around to look in the same direction as Emma. She definitely remembered. It was the day that started everything.

“Y’know, I had a crush on you back then.”

Emma looked at her in disbelief as she put some pressure on the gas. “You did?”

Alyssa nodded. “I mean, I don’t think I knew what it all meant,” she started, pulling her hand back and shuffling a couple of inches closer to the blonde. She wrapped an arm around the blonde’s and rested her head on Emma’s shoulder. “But I definitely knew something.”

Emma turned her head slightly, placing a light kiss on the brunette’s head. “You know, I never did get that hoodie back.”

Alyssa laughed, tracing her fingers up and down the sleeve of Emma’s suit jacket. “Oh, you’re never getting that back.”


End file.
